Dreams That Should Never Be
by letsthrowmoffatoffaroof
Summary: When Dean gets attacked by a Djinn his one wish is that Sam was never Lucifer's vessel. But what he didn't expect was that his dream world would involve waking up next to Castiel, Angel of the Lord. In what seems to be a perfect world, Dean struggles to decide whether it's worth going back to the real world, when living the lie is so much easier. Destiel. Set after season five.
1. Djinns Are Bitches

**When Dean gets attacked by a Djinn his one wish is that Sam was never Lucifer's vessel and he never had to jump into the hole. But what he didn't expect was that his dream world would involve waking up next to Castiel, Angel of the Lord. In what seems to be a perfect world, Dean struggles with his feelings for a certain blue eyed angel, and tries to decide whether it's worth going back to the real world, when living a lie seems to be so much easier. Set sometime after Season Five, but in a slight AU where Cas never pulled Sam out from Hell, because whenever I think about Cas working with Crowley I cry, and where Dean never went to live with Lisa and Ben because whenever I think of Dean making them forget him I cry. The rating may change later on due to smut/slash and darker subjects.**

**I was re-watching some episodes of Season Two when I came across What Is And What Should Never Be, and it made me cry, which was strange because I don't remember getting that emotional the first time I watched it, maybe Supernatural has just made me more insane the more I watch it.  
As I was watching it I started wondering if Dean's wish would be the same now, after everything that's happened to him since. I contemplated setting this story after Season Eight, but I feel that that time belongs to Cas and the Angels, and the easiest time to experiment with this would be some time after Swan Song, so throw in Destiel feels and very little sleep, and this is what happens!  
I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the long Author's Note, it'd be great if you could let me know what you think, if you like the idea or not, anyway, enough rambling- here's Chapter One!**

Dean walks down the empty, eerie corridor of the abandoned warehouse, the Impala stashed away and hidden in a deserted back street, it's places like these that remind him of hunting with Sam, when times were so simple, get the job done and get some pie, with no worry about Heaven or Hell being on their tales. He's been tracking down this creature for a couple of days now, ever since he got its scent after reports of six missing girls had been filed within two weeks of each other, and he managed to narrow the thing's location to a two mile radius. It should be a pretty simple job, not as simple as a salt and burn, but at least he knows what the thing is. A Djinn. The weird wish-granting, blood-sucking, tattooed genie god that sent him into a deep dream of suburban life where his mum was still alive and Sam was getting married. It had been strange to say the least, and had hit a nerve or two, they'd been hunting the thing just before the whole trauma of closing the Gate of Hell with the Colt. It was stupid, he knew, going in to gank it alone without back up, but he's too bitter to care anymore, and at least this time he knows how to kill it – a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood does the trick, and wasn't too hard to get a hold of either.

He's been hunting by himself ever since they managed to stop the apocalypse. Sure, Cas helps him on a few hunts every now and then, and he's constantly checking up on him, making sure he hasn't fallen into his old, drinking ways, but the guy's a powered up angel now, with his Sheriff duties in Heaven to take care of, so he can't be with him all the time as much as Dean wants him to be. So he's on his own. Bobby is always on the end of the phone if Dean needs him, but Dean never rings, and Bobby hasn't been the same since they lost Sammy.

With the knife in one hand and his gun in the other, Dean makes it to the end of the corridor and looks around the large building. It's incredibly dirty and the air smells of rot, this is definitely the type of place the Djinn would be hiding. He hears a noise back from the way he came in so he spins around, gun at the ready, but the only thing to greet him is an empty hallway. Damnit, Winchester, you were never this jumpy before, what the Hell has gotten into you?

He sighs and relaxes a little, which is his biggest mistake.

A heavy object hits the back of his head with such force it nearly sends him flying onto his back, but he manages to steady himself as he spins around to face his attacker, but yet again there's nothing facing him but an empty room. He carries on walking, with a headache slowly starting in the place where he felt the blow, he puts his hand to his neck, and is relieved to discover that he can only feel a slight trickle of blood. He raises the knife in front of him, in defence mode so he's ready for when the thing might attack again.

He doesn't quite know how he knows, it's just part of his hunter nature, but Dean can sense the danger behind him, the hairs on the back of his neck stand on ends and adrenaline pumps in his ears as he spins around not a second too soon.

He's nearly nose to nose with the ugliest face he's ever seen. Blue skin and black inked patterns surround deep, blue eyes which glow with pure power. But he doesn't take the time to examine the creature's face, instead Dean swipes the knife at its face, only to have his wrist caught in the Djinn's firm grip. Damn, he forgot how strong these things were. It's not the same Djinn as the one that they hunted back in Illinois, he can tell that much, but it's still every bit as powerful.

He feels stupid and weak to have let himself be snuck up on, and he tries desperately to bring the knife to the creature, but the hand gripping his wrist tightens, forcing his hand to drop the knife, his only hope of killing this thing.

"Son of a bitch!" He mutters as the Djinn brings his glowing blue hand towards Dean's face, the other still wrapped firmly around his neck. He's scared now, the only weapon that he knew would kill this thing is somewhere at his feet, his foot kicks it accidently as the Djinn pushes Dean back against the wall, and presses his hand to the hunter's forehead. Dean struggles and tries to break free, get away, do anything to stop this from happening, but before he can even register what's happening, the Djinn has its fingers on Dean's forehead and he can slowly feel the blue energy of the Djinn surrounding him and blind his sight, as he slips into unconsciousness.

* * *

Dean jolts awake, freezing cold and covered in sweat, he sits up suddenly. His brain registers that he's in a bed in some motel room before his head starts to feel like it wants to kill him. His memory fuzzes over and he pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he tries to stop the room from spinning.

Suddenly there's a warm, comforting hand running up and down his bare back – great, he's in just his boxers – its strong fingers rub slowly up his spine and come to rest on his shoulder, rubbing small circles on his skin. He breathes in deeply and lets the tranquillity of the moment wash over him and sooth his frantic brain.

"Dean," a deep, familiar voice grumbles, clearly heavy with sleep and confusion. "You've had a nightmare?"

He recognises that voice, the gravely sound, but it takes him a second to place it with his blood pounding in his ears.

"Cas?" He turns his head around and shifts in the covers, to see Castiel, frigging angel of the Lord lying in the bed to Dean's right with his hand on his shoulder, wearing boxers and what appears to be Dean's AC/DC t shirt. His head fuzzes up even more and he can feel himself swaying a little. _No, this can't be happening. How much did I drink last night? I don't remember anything. Wait... We didn't... Oh God what if we had sex?_

"Dean?" Cas sits up now, using his free arm to push against the covers. He snakes his hand across from Dean's shoulder and up to the back of his neck, fingers brushing through his hair as he tries to sooth him. Dean's eyes go to Cas' other hand which is now pressed atop the hunter's thigh, but he does nothing to remove it, it feels... Right almost, like it should be there. "Hey, Dean, look at me. Come on, focus on me now."

Dean's panicked face shoots up to find a pair of concerned, blue eyes staring at him.

"Dean, listen to me, you've had another nightmare," the hand continues to smooth down Dean's hair, and the finds himself leaning into the touch and calming his breathing, getting lost in Cas' eyes. "But you're here now, you're with me. You don't have to keep remembering Hell anymore, it's alright."

Dean had no idea Cas' voice could be so calming and caring, a part of his brain – the stubbornly heterosexual part – tells him that he should be freaking out, he's lying in bed with another man for God's sake! But Hell, it feels right, he feels happy, and he'd be kidding himself if he said he'd never wished for this to happen.

"Cas," he breathes, practically a whisper, and brings a still shaking hand up to Cas' cheek, to make sure that he's real.

"Hello, Dean." The angel smiles a little at seeing some focus in Dean's eyes.

His brain is still thumping behind his eyes, so he rests his forehead against Cas' shoulder, and for some reason unknown to him, feels like crying.

"I'm here, Dean," he says into his ear, wrapping his arms around his back, gently kissing Dean's hair. "Bad dream, huh?"

The casual caring in his voice makes Dean smile into Cas' skin. "The worst."

Cas puts both hands onto Dean's shoulders and presses their noses together, before kissing him slowly and softly, like he's done it a hundred times before. Dean starts to kiss him back, still too shocked and head still too lost to comprehend doing anything else, but Cas breaks the kiss after a few short moments.

He sighs in a typical Cas way, "it's late, we have to hit the road early tomorrow if we're to get to Bobby's in time, and I'm not getting in that car if you're going to fall asleep at the wheel again."

Dean smirks. "Since when do you willingly ride in the Impala if you have the option of flying there."

"You know why I ride in the Impala, Dean," but when Dean's face still shows confusion he frowns and continues. "I haven't been able to fly since I rebelled for you and my connection to Heaven got weaker."

"Oh Cas," the guilt builds up in Dean's chest, even if this was just another of his dreams, it didn't stop Dean from remembering all the things that Cas had sacrificed for him.

"Are you unwell? You seem confused."

"Nah, Cas, I'm just tired buddy, I'm too tired." The realisation that this is just another of Dean's many dreams about Cas, one out of thousands, hits him in the chest like a bullet. So he lies down next to Cas, head resting on his chest and the angel's arms enveloping him, protecting him, and clings to him for dear life, dreading the moment when he knows he'll wake up from this dream alone.

He wakes up to an empty bed, just like he knew he would. Angels didn't fall for him, especially not Cas. He sighs and stands up, pulling on his jeans and t shirt that he finds on the floor. _Man, I must've gotten myself really pissed last night._

He's just about to get himself some breakfast when he hears a fist knocking on the door.

"Alright, alright I'm coming," he mutters, confused as to who would even know he's here, let alone need him.

He takes off the latch and swings open the door, about to throw off some lame ass excuse to the manager or something when the unnaturally talk man at the door barges past him and starts pacing around Dean's room.

"So, Cas just called, he said you were zonked out and that he went to get food. We're gonna set off in about ten minutes so if you don't get all your shit packed up I swear to God-"

"Sammy?!"


	2. Pie and Sammy

**_Wow! I've had so many people telling me to carry on this story and giving me lovely reviews, so thank you everyone that's followed and favourited even though there are only about two thousand words! I'm so sorry that the last chapter was so short, but I had this idea at about four in the morning and had to get something typed up. _**

**_I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and I promise to get this fic updated as soon as I can!_**

"Sammy?!"

Dean just about manages to choke out as he takes in the sight of his gigantic brother stood by the table. It's an image he's missed so much, seeing the little brother that he went days without eating just so the kid wouldn't go hungry, the brother that he taught how to walk, that he'd sacrifice anything for, he throat had gone dry and he stumbles forward at little, not trusting his eyes to tell the truth.

"Dean? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," Sam asks, his stupidly long hair tucked behind his ears and his plaid shirt hanging loosely on his tall frame. And Dean doesn't think he can just stand there any longer, he hasn't seen Sammy since that awful day nearly six months ago and he still hasn't gotten used to the fact that he failed him, let him jump into that cage and rot in Hell like Dean himself had, and remembers so vividly. He's spent every night tossing and turning in crappy motel beds, trying to get the memories of that day out of his head, trying to accept the fact that Sammy's gone forever, but no matter how much booze he drinks, he never can.

He walks over to Sam in two long strides, and hugs him so tightly he fears he might suffocate the guy. He grips onto the fabric on his back like it will somehow stop him from ever losing his brother again, and feels his eyes about to brim with tears. The moment is bordering on chick flick material but Dean's just happy to have his kid brother back in his arms.

"Dean?" His voice is edged with caution and worry, and when Dean pulls away Sam shoots him an ok-what-have-you-done-this-time look.

"Yeah, Sammy, I'm fine." He smiles, still staring at his brother's face in a way that resembles something of awe. "In fact I'm great! Everything is just great, Sam. And you know what?" he grins even wider, because Hell, he knows this is just some fantasy, he knows Sam's not real and that some evil genie is currently sucking his blood or something, but it feels so right, and something about this world is so calming that he doesn't have a care in the world, and he's way too tired of everything to even start making some sort of a plan now.

_Why is it always us? Why do we have to go killing monsters and angels and saving the world? Why do I have to lose my own brother over all of this? Surely I have a right to spend time with Sammy. _Killing some Djinn in the real world that seems so far away and unimportant, it can wait. He'd be an idiot if he passed on the opportunity to hang out with his little brother. Sam still looks unconvinced that Dean's a hundred percent alright, narrowing his eyes at his brother's cheerfulness, but Dean doesn't care.

"Fancy getting some pie?"

* * *

"I don't see how this couldn't have waited until we'd gotten to Bobby's, the old man's gonna kill us you do know that, right?" Sam complains as the two walk down the street towards a local diner that Dean spotted. "I text Cas, told him where we're going, but the guy actually got up early just so he could get you some food, and you know how bad he is on mornings," Sam throws him a knowing look, the bitch. "That angel must really love you, I personally don't know what he sees. And now you've just ditched him because you wanted pie?"

Dean sighs. "I just wanted to spend some time with my baby brother, is that such a crime? I don't know man, we haven't talked in a while, I miss you," he shrugs.

"Dude, you talked to me yesterday. Extensively. Something about how bad my music taste is or something. And how could you have missed me? All your time not spent making out with Cas is spent with me."

"Well that is true," Dean smirks as they enter the diner and find a little booth hidden away in the corner, they take seats opposite each other and Dean picks up a menu. "Your music taste does suck." Sam throws him his signature bitch-face, the sight of it makes Dean's heart swell, something he'd never admit to. "Bitch," he mutters.

"Jerk."

And just like that they're bickering back and forth, about everything and anything. How hot the chick serving them is, how good the pie is, how Sam desperately needs a haircut, and it's nice, he's missed this. Sam witters on about how weird the case they've apparently just taken is, and Dean lets him, his mind wandering back to a time when Sam first started to talk, it seems like once he got the hang of it, he never shut up. And as much as he constantly complained about it when Sam was still with him, it's the thing he's missed most ever since Sam jumped. Thinking about it suddenly makes Dean curious about how Sam managed to escape Lucifer and the angels' plans. He knew the Djinn well enough to know that they could see your deepest desires, and grant whatever that wish was, but when the Djinn in Illinois had attacked him, his one wish was that his mum never died, so how could his wish have changed since then? What could be his one true deepest desire? That Sam never jumped into the cage? That the angels never wanted the apocalypse to happen? No, that wouldn't work, Cas would never have saved him And talking of the angel, could his deepest desire be that he got to _wake up next to Castiel?_ It was all kind of weird, he can't imagine how they could've stopped the apocalypse any differently.

"So, erm, Sam, did you ever say yes? To Lucifer I mean." He might as well be blunt about it, his brother already thinks he's a weirdo, and Dean's too Goddamn curious as to how this near perfect world came about to tiptoe around the edges of things.

"Say yes to what?" Sam's looking at him like he just suggested they go dance down the street naked.

"You know," Dean waves his hands about as if to demonstrate, "say yes to being a prom dress."

Sam nearly spits out his health freak smoothie thing, and lets out a howling laughter before composing himself at seeing Dean's confused face.

"Dean, we're not _all_ angel royalty you know. Just because you're the chosen one," he chuckles a little but upon seeing that Dean still isn't getting anything he becomes more serious and leans forward. "I know you feel bad about nearly saying yes to Michael, but you have to let it go, I can't even begin to imagine what it's like, being pressured into letting that stupid arch angel get inside you, but we killed the bastard, and it's all over now, man, I thought you'd gotten over torturing yourself over this."

"Wait, so you were never Lucifer's vessel?"

"Lucifer's vessel? Dean I- No, of course I wasn't Lucifer's vessel, are you sure you're alright?"

Dean doesn't bother answering the question, his brain's working at one hundred miles per hour. If Sammy was never the vessel, then how did they stop the apocalypse? How did they get Lucifer back in the cage?

"Sammy, what happened in Detroit?"

Sam looks extremely worried now, "Dean, you're freaking me out, how can you not remember what-"

Dean throws his hands up, "Humour me."

"We killed Lucifer and Michael in Detroit... With Castiel's angel blade. You went to go say yes to Michael, and just before he jumped you Cas managed to fly down and stab the son of a bitch." He says slowly, like it's some kind of a test. "Then when Cas was knocked out we took down Lucifer with the ring of holy oil and Gabriel's blade."

It all seems so simple, the two angel's were just killed? Just like that? No Sam in Hell, no Adam in Hell, no seeing Lucifer killing Bobby and Cas, no dramatic farewells. Just death, why hadn't they thought of that before? It probably wouldn't have worked anyway, knowing the Winchester's luck, and especially not with Lucifer constantly chasing down his brother. Dean feels light headed just thinking about the possibility of things working out so well.

"And Cas? Why isn't he back up in Heaven? Why's he wasting his time with us?" He can't help but ask, as much as Dean always wants to be with him, he knows that Cas has duties in Heaven, knows that he'd never give up everything for Dean.

"Dude, what is up with you today?" Sam huffs.

"Just, tell me, Sam. Please."

"Ok so you mean why does Cas stay with us after you practically declared your undying love for each other?" He says, the sarcasm heavy in his voice, "And then proceeded to prove it to each other. Loudly. In the room next to mine with _extremely_ thin walls."

Now _that_, Dean definitely didn't need to know. "But why isn't the dude up in Heaven playing Sheriff?"

Sam's already unnaturally suspicious frown deepens, "You know what Lucifer did, you know why Cas can't go back. He's practically human now, whatever Lucifer did when he nearly killed him, the poor guy's stuck with no connection to Heaven, which means his Grace is near gone. Ever since he rebelled for you or whatever, his mojo connection to Heaven was getting weaker and now, well, I don't even think he's got a connection at all."

That hits Dean like a slap in the face, he knew Castiel had sacrificed a lot for him, but Sam was telling him that he nearly died (again) to protect Dean, and he's lost the only link left to his home and all his family, just to stay with Dean. It's too much. He feels like he's going to be sick and he can tell that if he doesn't change the subject soon he'll start sobbing like a frigging baby. He can already feel a tear about to escape his right eye so he quickly pushes it away. _Stupid dream world, _he thinks_, stupid Djinn, stupid son of a bitch Cas, stupid everything. _But he just wants to enjoy the time with Sam that he has, and he can't let this get to him, it's not real, his brother is alive and sat across the table from him, and he's not going to waste that.

"Dean, you're starting to scare me. What going on?"

"Nothing Sam, just, having a tough day that's all." Hell, it seems like his whole life has been a bad day so far.

"Alright.." he says, and Dean can tell he's not buying a single word out of his mouth, but that's Sam for you, always wanting to know everything. "If you're sure."

"Look, could we talk about something else now? Let's talk about you! How's the love life?" He jokes, because that's Dean Winchester's number one form of defence against feelings. Humour.

So they go back to joking around and eating, pie for Dean and some green stuff for Sam, and Dean can't keep the grin off his face, he's soaking up every single second he can get with Sam, because he knows it'll all be over soon enough, he's smart enough to know that good things don't last any place he's concerned.

**_This chapter was shorter than I had hoped because I planned on making the chapter longer but there's a huge scene I haven't finished and I'm running out of time today, so instead of leaving you guys hanging I thought I'd be kind and share the first half of this chapter with you. As always I'd love to know what you think and if you have any ideas._**


	3. I'll Watch Over You

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it.  
Also a huge thanks to nightmareinscarlet on tumblr who drew the awesome book cover for this fic, I can't quite get it into the frame properly, but when I have more time on the computer I'll make it so you can see all of it. Thank you again, and if any of my readers have tumblr I suggest you get following!  
I'm afraid it might be a while until I upload the next chapter, I won't have time to write because I have a couple parties and family things over the next week, but I'll try my best.**

**I tried to make this chapter fluffier and more Destielly but I'm not so happy with it, I hope it's still readable and maybe even a little enjoyable.  
Let me know what you think, thanks for reading, Assbutts.**

When they get back to the motel Cas is waiting for them next to the Impala, leaning against a small wall and reading some chick magazine with a frown of extreme concentration on his face. He's wearing a light green tee underneath a hooded, dark green jumper and brown jacket. _Well would you look at that_, Dean thinks, _who would've know how hot Cas looks in layers. _He's also got on a pair of dark jeans that hang loosely on his hipbones, and some old looking sneakers that are scuffed around the edges. He looks up when they approach and a little smile comes onto his face when he sees Dean looking at him.

"Hello, Dean," he says, smiling at the brothers. "Sam."

"Hey, erm," Dean suddenly feels a wave of nervousness and uncertainty wash over him, "Hey, Cas." He tries a smile as he peers at the magazine in Cas' hands. "So, what you reading there, buddy?"

"It's something called 'Hello'. I found it in the gas-station on my way here, apparently this is the normal reading material for humans. The magazine rack said it was the most popular in the country," he looks at Dean, seeming pleased at himself for finding 'the country's favourite chick mag'. "But the stories are incredibly confusing." He narrows his eyes and tilts the magazine on its side, as if getting a better angle will help him understand. "I can't see how someone would divorce their wife just because she got breast implants. This man says that his wife is being unloyal and spent all the money for their new patio on larger breasts. I don't understand why this is an interesting news story. Is it of some kind of importance, or is it purely for entertainment purposes? I see no way in which this would interest anybody."

"Well, Cas, some people like to read about drama I guess," dream world or not, Cas is still oblivious to human nature and customs, something which makes Dean smile. "Those kinds of things are mainly for middle aged chicks who've got nothing better to do with their lives than read about messy divorces and boob implants." He puts his arm around Castiel's shoulders and plants a small kiss into his hair, because damnit, this is his dream world and if he's not allowed to take the time to be soppy with his boyfriend or whatever, then something's wrong.

"I promise not to leave you if you decide to get breast implants," Cas says with complete seriousness as he looks up and Dean, sending the hunter into a roaring laughter that brings tears to his eyes. Cas looks taken aback at first, but the sight of Dean near collapsing with laughter makes him chuckle himself.

"Alright you two lovebirds, let's hit the road," Sam says walking round the Impala to get into the right side. Luckily Dean finds his keys where he usually keeps them, in his left pocket.

"Right, yeah, Bobby's house right?" He says as he pats Cas on the back and jumps into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, well I told him we'd stop by to give him that amulet thing he wanted before we head home, I mean, his house is on the way so I figured it wouldn't be that much of a hassle." Sam says beside him.

"Wait," Dean's about to start the car when his mouth falls open and he stares at his brother in disbelief. "Home?"

"Yeah Dean," Sam chuckles in a mocking tone. "Home. That place where we've lived for the past.. What has it been? Six months?" He looks back at Cas in the back seat to check if he's correct, but the angel's staring at Dean with a look of worry on his face.

"Oh, no, I know, home. It's just still weird to think about, we've actually got a home now," Dean grins, because this is just getting better and better, and looks at Cas through the rear-view mirror, chuckling to himself. "Well, then, let's go home."

* * *

He manages to find out which town they're in and how to get to Bobby's from the various road signs that he sees, they're not too far, the car journey should only take five or six hours at most, which Dean's thankful for because he wants to spend as much time as he can with Sam and Cas.

Somewhere just outside South Dakota, Sam and Cas start debating about how accurate Dante's work was, it was civilised, no name-calling like there would've been if it were Sam and Dean involved, just friendly bickering. Dean stares at the long, clear road ahead of them and leans back, just enjoying the purr of his baby and soaking up the voices of the two people he's come to love most in the world. He smiles and relaxes into this wonderful, false sense of security.

Dean pulls into Bobby's house just as the sky is starting to turn a deep shade of red.

"I'll just run in and drop off what he needs," Sam says, opening his door and stepping out. "Then we can get back home."

"Hey wait a sec," Dean leans over and grabs Sam's arm just as he's about to get out. "Why don't we stay for a bit? I can't even remember the last time we saw Bobby," and it's true, ever since Sam had pulled Lucifer into the cage he'd ignored the older hunter's repeated invites to come see him, only ever speaking to him when he occasionally rang or bumped into each other on hunts. To be honest, Dean had become bitter again, secluded and taking job after job, anything to take his mind off Sammy. "It'd be good to see him," which is also true, his Bobby was ridden with grief over losing Sam, and constantly worried about Dean. He'd even taken to drinking more and more, just like he had when Dean had gone to Hell. It'd be nice to see a glimpse of old, nearly care free Bobby before he went back to the cruel, real world.

"Yeah, alright, but only for a little bit. I wanna get home and sleep in my proper bed." Sam sighs, sneaking a look at the back seat and smirks. "But you get to wake up sleeping beauty over there." And just like that he heads across the yard and into Bobby's house.

Dean turns round in his seat to find that Castiel has fallen asleep, his head resting back against the seat. He looks so innocent and young like this, his hair ruffled and sticking up in all the wrong places, his mouth ever so slightly opened but turned up at the corners, letting a soft snore sneak through his lips. Dean feels the affection boil up inside him and spill out as a huge grin, getting out, he closes his door gently, so as not to wake Cas, and opens the angel's door. Leaning over the back seat his hands find Cas' face and he cups his cheek, softly running his fingers over his cheekbone. He leans over and plants a gentle kiss on Cas' mouth, and murmurs against his lips as he seems to be waking up, "rise and shine, angel."

Cas' eyes are fuzzy for a moment, but focus and light up when he smiles up at Dean, his eyes flickering towards his lips. "We're stopping at Bobby's for a bit, then we'll get you tucked up in bed when we get home, how's that sound?" It all feels so easy, and Dean doesn't know how or why it does, but _this_, home, Sam, Bobby, Cas, everything just feels like this is how it should be.

Cas rubs a bit of sleep out of his eye, and suddenly Dean notices how like a baby Cas looks just after he's woken up. He could get used to this. So he meets Cas for another kiss, his hand coming up to card through his hair.

He feels Cas smile into the kiss and shuffle beneath him to get a better angle, and deepens the kiss by flicking his tongue across Dean's bottom lip. Dean eagerly complies and opens his mouth, and it feels like the two are melting together. Cas shuffles a little more so he's leaning back against the door and Dean feels a soft, warm hand run over his jaw line with such care and patient attention that he nearly frigging moans into Cas' mouth. It's a close to perfect moment, a stolen kiss in a warm corner of the Impala, well, it is a near perfect moment until Dean brings up another hand to Cas' cheek, but suddenly loses his balance, half propped up over Cas, and send himself toppling over. He ends up half on the car's floor, and half gripping onto Cas' shirt.

"Fuck," he hisses, and with a hand from Cas he gets into a more dignified position, the son of a bitch chuckling to himself the whole time.

"I don't know what you're smirking at," he huffs at Cas, but he's also smiling so it's not very threatening.

He climbs out of the car, pulling Cas with him, but takes a moment to stare down at the angel, ruffled up hair and red, kiss swollen lips. Feeling proud of himself he drags Cas behind him and heads up to the front door.

"Hey, Bobby!" Dean pulls the old man into a hug when he sees him chatting with Sam in the kitchen.

"What's wrong with you, you idjit!? Get offa me!" Bobby pulls out of Dean's grasp with a look of annoyance on his face, but there's a small smile hidden behind his eyes. "What's with the whole teenage girl act all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, Bobby, I'm just glad to see you that's all. Thought we could have a catch up, you know, what've you been doing?"

"I told you only to drop off this thing," he says, waving the small parcel that Sam had just given him. "I don't have time for idle chit-chat, Rufus is working some pagan god hunt down in Washington and I've gotta hit the books. Maybe you idjits can pop down after I've done and we can all reminisce over a cup of cocoa, and then afterwards why don't we exchange knitting patterns?" He walks over to his desk, piled high with old books and half empty bottles of whiskey, and takes his usual seat. "We can't all afford to buy rosy little cottages and take long summer breaks all the time, some of us are busy."

"Bobby-"

"Now get outta my house before I shoot you into next week."

And just like that they're heading back out again, the three of them trailing behind one another down the narrow corridor.

Sam stops just as he's about to close the door and calls out, "Come round when you've finished all your hard work, won't you, Bobby. Maybe you could bring round a few beers on Saturday? Cas'll bake and we can even make some cocoa if you want?"

"Get out!" He jokily shouts, but Dean knows he's smiling.

Dean's grinning from ear to ear, which quickly wavers when Cas leaves his side to climb into the car, and he realises that he has no idea where their new house or whatever is. _Shit, _he thinks_, how am I supposed to blag this one? _But a win-win solution pops into his mind last minute, so he throws his keys at Sammy's head, who only just catches them before they fall to the floor.

"How about you drive today, Sam. I could do with a kip." He says as casually as he can, and Sam looks like he's eight years old again and might die from excitement.

"You're seriously gonna let me drive, like eight hours to Kansas?" He looks like he's trying hard to find how Dean could be tricking him somehow. "You're letting me drive the Impala?"

"Hey, don't look so surprised! You had my baby for four months when I was in Hell, and as long as you don't attach some stupid pop music iPod, I don't see why not. Besides, I need some Zs."

"Dude, you are so lazy," Sam mocks as Dean opens the back door.

"I can take back your driver's privileges pretty easily if you don't show your elders some respect."

Sam holds up his hands in defence and quickly gets behind the wheel. Dean looks up to find Cas hovering just outside the car, as if he's waiting for something.

"Are we waiting for anything particular or can we get going already?" Dean asks.

Cas shifts nervously on his feet, "I was wondering if I could take shotgun now, soon as I never get the chance when it's the three of us."

"No way, cuddles," Dean grabs the front of Cas' shirt and pulls him next to him in the car. "You're sticking with me, I'm afraid."

Cas huffs like he's about to sulk and closes the door behind him, but seems happy enough to put his arm around Dean as the hunter leans into his side. Sam makes some remark about not making out or distracting the driver, but Dean just flips him off through the mirror.

As he feels the soft fabric of Cas' cotton t shirt rub against his cheek, and smells that sent that is so very _Cas, _he suddenly feels incredibly tired, like he could sleep for a few weeks and still feel tired. He comes to the realisation as he feels a hand slowly start to smooth down his hair in a calming manner that he really hasn't had that much sleep over the past few days at all, the couple ours that he got back in the motel room were broken and short, and before he got weirdly teleported into the dream world, he'd been running on about four hours and hadn't slept in roughly thirty hours. So Hell, he's got nothing to worry about, Sam is safe and seems to be extremely proud of himself for driving the Impala, and he's safe in his angel's arms, he might as well fall asleep right here, with his cheek on Cas' chest.

After about thirty minutes of driving, he looks up at Cas, only to find that the angel's already looking down at him with a small smile on his lips and so much affection in his eyes that it almost _hurts_ Dean's heart.

"Hello, Dean," he breathes, and he places two fingers on Dean's chin, tilting his head up to meet him in a soft, painfully slow kiss.

Dean's eye lids flutter closed and sighs into him. Cas can somehow tell how tired Dean is, as if he's reading him like a book, so he mutters into his ear, "You get some rest," he pulls Dean closer to him and tilts his body so Dean and rest his head into Cas.

"I'll watch over you," he assures him and nuzzles his face into Dean's hair, sending weird tingles down the hunter's back.

He can vaguely hear Sam humming something to himself under his breath, and Dean drifts off, comforted by the warmth surrounding him and the feeling of safety that he hasn't had for the longest time, with the real world slowly slipping away.


	4. A Second Chance

**Chapter four:**

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long but I went on holiday for a week and then had a load of exams to study for and rehearsals to go to as I'm in a play thing, and then had a bit of an emotional crisis this week when I wanted to finish this chapter, but all is good now!  
I hope you like this next chapter and I'll try to update before season nine airs and my heart gets ripped out and jumped on because Jesus Christ that promo was intense,  
This story isn't beta'd so sorry for any mistakes, I just don't know how that whole thing works and I type too quickly to go back and check anything so if you spot any mistakes I'd be grateful for feedback. Also, in case you didn't already figure out, I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters because if I did I'd be doing more productive things with my time instead of writing fanfiction, and I'm making no profit from this, I just have lots of emotions surrounding this stupid show that just won't let me leave.**

* * *

"This is our house?!" Dean says when he steps out of the Impala and sees where they've stopped.

"Yeah, Dean, this is our house," Sam says in his typical mocking, bitchy voice, and it even seems like he's considering adding a 'duh!' on the end, and he just catches the concerned look that Cas gives him out of the corner of his eye. "Now help me with these bags, no way am I carrying all of them."

Dean stares up at the building in front of him, it's three floors tall and has a certain rustic feel about it. The brick is red but the colour's faded over time, the place looks like it was built hundreds of years ago but isn't too posh or too stuffy, it just has this charm about it that Dean can't quite put his finger on. It's nothing like Lisa's house, there's no perfectly white door with golden handles and numbers, this door is a deep blue, the paint cracking off at the corners with a little frosted window and wooden letter box just visible from where Dean stands at the gate, and he notes with a smirk that the house number is thirteen. It's fitting really, as unlucky is just another word for Winchester. The windows are big and obviously let a lot of light in, but aren't new or double glazed, in fact, none of them even seem to match, all different colours and shapes. It reminds Dean a little of their childhood home, comfortable and friendly, it's perfect really. Who knew the three of them had good taste in property buying?

He takes one last look around the little garden before going to help Sammy with unloading the boot, he's going to have to get his hands on that lawn, he hasn't mowed a lawn in God knows how long.

Dean grabs his and what he guesses is Cas' duffle bag, and follows Sam down the little garden path to their front door. _Damn, _Dean thinks_, who would've guessed I'd actually have a freaking garden path? _His brother pulls a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocks the door, twisting the door knob around a little as it jams for a moment. When he steps in to the house and takes in his surroundings he's pleasantly surprised to find the hallway is pretty small, but not too stuffy, filled with a few photographs of the Winchesters dotted on the walls and following the wooden stairs up to another floor. The decor is fairly simple, the floors all seem to be wooden and uncarpeted but look like they've been recently washed, the walls are covered in white paint which flakes a little around the doorways, and the doors themselves are simple but homely. After dropping their duffel bags by the stairs and grabbing a bite to eat in their tiny kitchen, filled with little cupboards painted brown, an oak table and their very own cooker, Cas declares that they should all watch some nature documentary in the front room.

The room opposite the kitchen is a place Dean is absolutely in love with, it's pretty small, but big enough to contain both a large screen tv and an old fire place surrounded by stone so it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. There's a coffee table in front of the tv, with a few old mugs on and a pile of neatly stacked magazines. Dean spots one of his driving magazines and a health-freak yoga mag which he assumes is Sam's, along with a thin paper back on bee-keeping which he's a bit confused by. In the corner, facing the tv is a scruffy, red arm chair that Dean recognises as one that used to sit in one of Bobby's spare rooms, it has a cushion with a moose on it which Sam flings on the floor as he sits down.

Dean follows Cas' lead and takes a seat on the tatty sofa next to the armchair. From looking at the rooms downstairs it's obvious that the brothers had been in charge of decoration, the whole house is simple, with a feel of home and second hand, Dean even notices a guitar by the door, he'd obviously taken up playing with all this spare time and a house. He's always wanted to learn properly, and now it seems like dream-world Dean has.

Cas picks up the remote from the coffee table and leans slightly against Dean as he flicks through the channels to find his program. The three sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes watching images of lions and leopards and tigers race across the tv screen, and as a lioness and her cubs start climbing trees and falling over each other like some cheesy cartoon, Dean looks across at Cas to find his angel totally engrossed in the program, hands clasped on his knees and a look of admiration in his eyes that Dean had often seen directed towards himself. He'd never think he'd find himself thinking this, _but damn, Cas really is beautiful. _His dark hair is fluffy but slightly flat, obviously not been washing in a few days, and a few tufts are sticking up around his ears, making him look younger and slightly more vulnerable. His mouth is drawn in a straight line of vague concentration as his wide, blue eyes watch the screen, and Dean just can't resist those lips. If he had a nickel for every time he'd wanted to lean over and freely kiss those lips, he'd be a millionaire, and he'll be damned if he's just going to let this opportunity go to waste, because Cas is here, within kissing distance, and Cas obviously wasn't complaining earlier when they kissed, so Dean's just gonna have to go with it.

He places his fingers on the back of Cas' neck, just where his hair reaches down to tickle the skin, and his fingertips dance softly, feeling his warmth and getting his angels attention. Cas turns to look at Dean with questioning eyes, but the confusion is only on his face for a brief moment as Dean leans in and captures his lips with his own. Castiel kisses back with extreme determination and Dean nearly sighs when he feels the angel's hand creep up his back and under his shirt. Dean grips Cas' hips in an attempt to position them in a more accessible way, when he hears a loud cough from the side of the room, causing them both to jump.

Cas pulls away from Dean slowly and looks up at him with those intense, blue eyes, "I think we should stop any further activities whilst we're seated with your brother," he says solemnly. But Dean just leans in for another kiss.

"Nah, he won't mind, not if we're quiet," he mutters against Cas' lips, and he swears he feels the angel shudder.

"I'm pretty sure he will mind," Sam's voice booms from his armchair.

"Shut up, bitch," Dean grumbles as he leans back into the sofa once more, Cas a solid weight beside him. "This program is boring anyway, where are the guns? The drama? The bas-ass fighting scenes?"

Cas sighs and starts to explain in an almost teacher voice, as if he's had to a million times before, "The animal world is actually very entertaining and full of fight scenes, fights for food, dominance, habitat, it's all extremely interesting."

But Dean just mumbles that he'd rather watch an action film as he settles down to finish watching with his brother and his angel.

* * *

Once the documentary is over, Sam decides that it's ok to put on a Chuck Norris film, which of course leads to the two brothers bickering like little kids as the film gets into full swing. Somewhere between the starting sequence, and Chuck Norris pulling out the big guns, Cas finds himself with his head on Dean's knee, and a soft hand resting in his hair.

"You can't even compare." Sam's I-Know-Best-Voice rises slightly above the noise of gunshots and car chases.  
"I don't even know you right now; it's not even a contest!"  
"If it's on the criteria-" Sam starts, obviously about to get into a rant.  
"Survival is the only criteria, alright. And when the crap hits the fan it's not about who has skill, it's about who's the biggest badass." Dean gently taps Cas' head in a way to check that he's awake, "Cas, could you please tell Sam that Chuck Norris could kick Jet Lee's ass"  
"I do not have enough experience with these two characters to make an informed decision." He mutters matter-of-factly and rolls over to snuggle closer to Dean.  
Sam chuckles and makes a bitch face at Dean, "lover boy's not on your side this time."  
"You are such a bitch," the older hunter says as he throws one of the cushions at Sam.  
"I thought we were over childish name calling, jerk." Sam attempts to throw it back, but instead of hitting Dean in the face like he wanted, it ends up being over aimed and falling against the kitchen door. "Whatever," Sam huffs. "But you know I'm right. I'm going to get a beer, you guys want one?"

Dean nods and Cas simply grumbles a confirmation against the fabric of Dean's jeans.

When Sam has gone through and shut the door, Dean tries to pull Cas up until they're sat facing each other and looks into those eyes like they contain the answers to everything. He feels like he needs to tell Cas something, but he doesn't quite know what or how, only that it feels like he should. After all, Castiel has always been the one that could read Dean, he'd known what he did in Hell months before he could even bring himself to tell Sammy, but still he'd understood and listened whenever he Dean had needed to talk. An image of a younger Castiel, with wider eyes and ruffled hair passes through his mind, the angel is standing tall and curious and intimidating in that dark room, his low voice piercing right through Dean as he leans forward and says, "What's the matter, Dean, you don't think you deserve to be saved?"

That was the first time in what seemed like forever that someone had actually understood Dean, knew what it was like to feel the way he did, why he tried so hard not to believe in a higher power and his angels. And when Bobby couldn't grasp it, and when Sam refused to listen, Cas just _knew_, like he'd read Dean's soul a million times to memory, and Dean had felt safe.

He opens his mouth in an attempt to start some sort of fathomable sentence, but falls short at "Cas, I-"

"What's the matter, Dean?" Cas says just like he had done those years ago, but with more care and gentleness in his tone, and his hand coming to rest atop Dean's, "I know something is wrong, just tell me, it's alright."

Blue pools see right through him, causing him to sigh and shake his head, "It's nothing, Cas, I just-" He breaks off and tries to find the right words as Castiel's hand comes up to his cheek, "This isn't gonna make a lick of sense but it _feels_ like I've been given a second chance. Like I've been handed everything I ever wanted on this big silver plate, and I've gotta do something with it, you know?"  
Cas frowns slightly and tilts his head, as if trying to understand what Dean's saying, "You're right it doesn't make any sense-"

But he doesn't get any further, as right at that instant is when Dean decides to shut him up by forcing their lips together and pushing his angel back into the arm of the sofa, one hand running through the soft, dark locks, and the other slowly moving down to Cas' thigh. He feels Cas push their hips together, which causes Dean to moan, something he thought the angel would never make him do. Just as the angel starts to place kisses down Dean's neck, there's a loud, sudden knock at the front room door. _Damnit, _Dean thinks_, interrupted again._

"I've been standing in the kitchen for ages letting you two have a heart to heart, but I'm not letting you get all Doctor Sexy in there, I want some Sam time, so get the hell to your own room or so God help me." Sam mumbles through the door.

So the hunter reluctantly climbs off Cas and heads to the door, "Come on," he says, with a hint of defeat in his voice, but points a firm finger at Cas, "We are not done here, capiche?"

Cas sighs a "Yeah, I capiche" as they head out of the room and up the stairs of their little house.


End file.
